Error 404
by Ghosts of Reason
Summary: Error 404 is the first collaboration from Ghosts of Reason. This story is a complete rework from the anime, sharing only globally recognized events. Following Aria Weiss, this story will tell the tale of a girl who has happily accepted her fate being trapped permanently in a virtual world. Rated M by the authors for Adult Themes, Disturbing Imagry, Mature Humor, Use of Alcohol.


**Error 404**

**Collaboration FanFiction for Sword Art Online, the Animated Series**

**Coordinated by (Kapskaen)**

**Written by (Esteel)**

**Special Thanks to (Chaos_Silk)**

**Foreword:**

All characters appearing here are copyrights of their respective owners and parties. Sword Art Online and all characters and theories thereof is a registered trademark of Reki Kawahara, Abec, and Aniplex with permissions. This work is in no way meant to infringe, berate, or praise the original work. Due to the volatile nature of this piece, it was tested against the Terms of Service and Community guidelines, and has been proven to comply with both rule sets.

The following is a fan intervention within the series, Sword Art Online, and is meant for entertainment purposes only. Please do not copy, distribute, or use any part, in segment or in whole, of this document for personal gain or otherwise without permission from all collaboration authors in question.

**This story is rated _M_ by the authors in order to warn readers of the contents.**

_**Prologue**_

"You really bought it, didn't you? I can't believe you'd drop $300 just to play a stupid game." The young lady pressed her hands to her hips, scowling. "Three hundred damn dollars! That's a lot of cash, especially for someone like you."

Nizibel sighed. "I bought it because my ex keeps taunting me about it. He was in the beta, and kept ranting about it every day. I figure if a hardcore like him can drop everything for it, I suppose I can have a look at it. Worst case, I can return it and get my money back."

"Besides..." A familiar blonde of vibrant green eyes intervened, "It looks stupidly fun."

"I can't believe you two. A cock made you both decide to drop $300 on a video game." The girl exclaimed. Nizibel's straight brunette bob bounced slightly as she dismissed the comment. A hair pin held the bob to the left side of her face, creating a more sophisticated appearance.

"Cale is _not_ just a cock to me... He's..." Mia's blonde hair slumped over her face, hiding her eyes. "He's special to me. He's the only man that's ever gone out of his way for me..." She pushed her hair up, pulling it back. As she reached with one hand for a tie to bind her ponytail, she continued, "He really is something else. It makes me wonder why you and Estel broke up."

"Let's just not go there. It's a long story." Nizibel said, rubbing her shoulder and looking away.

"Right." The girl said, looking sadly at her friend.

"So what class were you thinking about?" Mia butted into the moment.

"I suppose I'll go with whatever looks the most versatile." Nizibel said, thinking.

"Did you know that the Japanese version doesn't have Jobs?" Mia said, straightening her ponytail.

"Yeah, I read that. The American version received a ton of changes, something about attracting American players. The Job system was implemented solely to give players a direction to aim for, not additional stats or anything. You can do the same in the Japanese version, but here it's an actual title added to your character sheet." Nizibel reached down to her computer's keyboard and began typing the query into a search engine.

"It releases tomorrow worldwide, and I can't wait! All the beta players have been feeding us intel and strategies to use on bosses. Aside from that, I hear it's absolutely beautiful in-game." Mia continued to banter with the two girls in front of the quiet one in the rear.

Aria maintained her complexion. Of blue eyes and light brown hair draping over her drooping face. She was interested in this game, heavily, since its release into closed beta. She barely missed her chance to become a beta player, cursing the world for yet another hatred on her. Orphaned at a young age, she spent most of her life a social outcast, preferring to be alone or solely with the company of a game somewhere. Her life has been thus, into attending this college with all these people she knows from high school and even middle school. Two of them are seated before her, Nizibel and Mia. Although never properly introduced, she knows them well – but perhaps that may be a story for another time. For now, her eyes are fixated upon the computer screen, the professor having just left the room. She thought to herself, "Maybe the virtual world will like me better."

Time passed into night, and as the sky darkened so did the windows of game stores around the country, those envious of the mere 10,000 allowed to enter the game on launch day. Inclusion from the beta players, this will number the players on launch to 11,000. As each man and woman is elated to leave the store, the store keep is bombarded, expected to hold a reserved copy for arbitrary reason. While some stores did hold an extra copy, it was reserved for a paying customer whom has yet to arrive. It would arrise the next morning that three shop keeps were killed for the game, and dozens were ambushed in the streets, mugged for their copy. But for now, let our story follow the heroines, as Mia, Nizibel, and Aria make it home safely with their own copies.

"It's somewhat odd that they're having a midnight release for SAO, but the American version goes live the same time as the Japanese." Mia said, frowning at her glossy game case.

"I know what you mean. It's like 11 am can't get here fast enough." Nizibel replied, plugging her Nerve Gear into her computer. They sat in her humble college dorm, Mia moving from down the hall so that they may be close together.

"So didn't you invite Cale and Estel over?" Mia said, setting her monitor down on the empty spare desk.

"Yeah, but dorm rules kinda murdered that idea." She replied, pushing various buttons on the Nerve Gear's control module. "Besides..." She continued, "As much as I hate to admit it, I might have very well just taken Estel right there on the bed."

Mia suddenly began coughing. As Nizibel turned about frantically, Mia swallowed hard. "That would not have been pleasant..." She coughed slightly. "The very idea made my choke on my own spit."

Nizibel giggled slightly. "Don't tell me you wouldn't use the other one for Cale?"

"That's not fair. You know I would, because I have a reason to." The two girls laughed, merry as could be. But, across the hall and two doors down, the merriment falls on deaf ears. In a darkened room, sitting before the light emitting from the monitor, Aria stared blankly at the screen's clock, waiting patiently for 11 am to arrive. She was met by no one besides the store clerk in her entire trip to and from her choice in video game merchandiser. Now, she sits patiently in the dark, awaiting her trip into a new world.

"Something's not right..." She pondered in the back of her mind.

"This is a bad idea..." The voice of her choosing echoed.

It's true. She felt some ominous forbearance emitting from the game. While she could not place her finger upon it, the darkness surrounding her whispered omens. She somehow knew that by putting on the Nerve Gear, something would happen. She picked it up, examining the screens it displayed. In only undergarments, she placed the scanning icon across her feminine body. Cups of only b-size, but the system was able to identify "Female" and "Age 22" with only a few blips of light. Each new contrast of information was displayed upon her screen, where she viewed and verified the accuracy. As the lights faded, she set the contraption down upon the floor, set her alarm for 10 am, and laid her head upon the pillow. She stared into the darkness, adjusting her eyes to the posters about the room, detailing a momento of each game she has adored, dating back to her early days playing the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. She sighed, attempting to comfort herself thinking of someone she could trust. As her thoughts came unglued in the silence, she heard the faint laughter from across the hall.

As the sun rose quickly in the mid-morning sky, the entirety of the country waited on bated breath to see the highly anticipated Sword Art Online. Aria sat, once more, in only undergarments in order to avoid classes for the day's time. As time clicked forward, she slowly placed the nerve gear over her head and face. The screen came alive with activity, indicating that connection is established, and the login screen appears. With effortless movements, she types her user name and password on the keyboard, then stands and migrates to the bed. She lays down, feeling the Nerve Gear make direct connection to the nerve centers in her brain. She feels her body going limp and numb, as the screen identifies the process. She enters a feeling that she can only describe as a waking deep sleep, as her body willingly flies from itself and is standing once more. A blinding flash of light envelopes her, reading her intentions for each screen involving her in creation of her avatar. She accepts every default, leaving her physical self to be representative. She selects "Lancer" at the Job screen, noticing that many are blocked from selection.

Another blinding flash of light surrounds her, as she is transported to a far away place. She feels herself smiling for the first time in what feels like a very long time. When she lands and supports herself, Aincrad is her new environment, where she peers about to find a town bustling with life and new players arriving in sheaths of light. The weather grazes her skin, a light breeze in a warm sun. The smells of spring assail her: The airy smell of lilac and vanilla. The sun is bright, as is the future for this little girl's existance. A screen appears before her, "Welcome to Sword Art Online."

**_Chapter 1_**

She could hardly believe her eyes, her ears, her nose, nor the taste of the vibrantly brilliant air that was all around her. It was all she had ever hoped and dreamed of, since she was small. Here, in the year 2022 on the 6th day of November, she has found her paradise. A world where she may roam free, without care for the world she left behind. The screen before her now, the welcome screen, offers a few tips and hints to aid her. At the end, however, comes a surprise: "Thank you for preordering your copy of Sword Art Online. Our gift to you is one free cosmetic item of your choosing." She had heard of cosmetic items from the beta players – equipment with no stats nor armor value, but are indestructible and act as player clothing. After sifting through the catalog for a few moments, she notices a hooded cloak. She purchases the azure cloak, which prompts her to name it. She softly speaks, "Shade of the Witch" as the item is added to her inventory. She then browses her inventory, and finds a spear to act as a starting weapon. She quickly finishes up, using the cloak to cover her armor and head. She follows advice from the tutorial and obtains a handbook written by the beta players. She takes one final inventory of her menus and commands, then directs herself to the edge of town.

"There's no magic in this game, everything is done with weapon skills." One boy says, talking to his friends.

"You mean, there's like, an unlimited number of skills?" Another man inquires, further down the path.

Aria thinks sadistically to herself, "If they didn't know anything about the game, why were they allowed to preorder it?" She grits her teeth, attempting to stay calm.

As she walks towards the exit, she fumbles the strange blue crystal applied to her inventory upon entering the world. She sees pairs and groups of people walking together. Again, her sadistic side appears in her mind, "If you can't do it alone, it's not worth doing." She grits her teeth harder, not expecting these emotions to boil up in this world.

As she walks along, nearly reaching the field, a young man puts his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Hey, whoa, slow down. Wouldn't you rather party up with me?"

She stops gritting her teeth, looking at him from under her shroud. "Actually, no." Her voice carried direct tone to it, as to assert that her answer is no.

"What? Why? Don't you think it would be easier to level with two people?" He asked, putting his hand around her shoulders.

She swats his hand away, gritting her teeth again. "It doesn't matter, I want to solo."

He steps towards her, "Oh come on, it won't be that bad, I promise..."

She puts her hand on his chest. "Stop. Do you know why I decided to be a Lancer?"

He is taken aback by her question. He shakes his head, unable to answer.

She replies directly, "Because I like to keep distance between me and everything else. Now go away and leave me alone."

He takes the hint, growing weary in his brow. "Fine, bitch, do what you want."

She accepts this as him leaving, and continues. She rethinks each and every thing that she has heard: People unable to play the game, people unable to play by themselves. She becomes angry at the other players, and before she realizes it, she is running. Perhaps that is where this story will follow? Aria running away? No, this story will be far more interesting than that.

On the far side of town, in the Plaza, a pair of cylinders reveal Mia and Nizibel, who are greeted by the same sights, sounds, smells, the same breeze, and the same taste in the air. They congratulate each other, discovering the same Welcome message. As they each browse through the information, Mia suddenly asks, "So I wonder where Estel and Cale are."

"That's a good question. I just now attempted to add Estel as a friend, but the system says that Beta Players are blocked from receiving requests right now." Nizibel browses through the cosmetic items, choosing carefully which item to make her own.

"That is very odd. Why would they do that to the Beta Players?" Mia inquired. She quickly selected an item and placed it into her inventory, not caring what the item was.

Nizibel fiddled with her menu, placing her new Scholar's Spectacles on her face. They almost perfectly resembled her real glasses, flattering her violet eye color next to her faint freckles. "It's probably some kind of meeting or something."

Mia looked about, the claymore on her back clacking against her armor. "Why on earth did you go with a sword bigger than you?!" Nizibel exclaimed, noticing the large ornament. "I rather like the large weapon style. It makes me feel a bit more powerful."

"I'll always prefer dual weapon." Nizibel said, the two shortswords on her curved hips jutting out behind her.

"Wait, how did you equip duals? I didn't have the option." Mia said, inspecting Nizibel's equipment.

"I don't know! It was an option, and I chose it." Nizibel replied, frantically. She inspected Mia's unlocked classes, and noticed that her Berserker job didn't have the extra skill for Dual Weapon. "Why would they allow some people dual, but not others?"

"Seems like a glitch to me. Maybe they'll fix it soon?" Mia said, closing her menu.

"Most likely. So the tutorial said something about handbooks. Should be get a couple?" Nizibel asked, turning around. A stall nearby had a small stack of them, as she picked a pair up.

"Seems like a valid plan, let's have a look at them." Mia said. She is suddenly statled, as Nizibel squealed in delight. "What? What's up?"

Nizibel held open the book to the first page, where leading the credits were the words, "Transcribed by Estel Blackheart." She smiled broadly, elated to see this.

Mia rolled her eyes. "I still don't know how the hell you two managed to break up. You'd probably _glomp_ him from 100 yards just to copulate."

Nizibel replied gleefully, "I don't care. Say what you want, I don't care." She grinned broadly as she rubbed the small book against her face.

Aria exacted herself, steadying her stance and lowering the tip of the spear. The boar charged as she tried, but failed, to use a weapon skill. Her health dropped once more, falling into yellow as the boar stood defiantly. She stood up again, thinking to herself, "If you can't do it alone, it isn't worth doing." She readied the spear again, thinking through the steps explained to her before.

_Feel the weapon in your hands, make a connection with it._

"Feel the weapon... its weight, is length, its sharpness... every aspect of it, take it into yourself that it is real." She focused on the boar, feeling every aspect of the spear in her hands, convincing herself that it is real.

_Make a mental image of a skill, where it makes contact in some way natural for the weapon._

"A way that is natural for the weapon... for a spear, that's an impale. Impale the boar, impale the boar..."

_Push the weapon into the skill, and let it explode as you follow through._

"Push the weapon into the skill." She focuses harder, as the weapon begins to glow a faint blue. "Let it explode as you follow through." The boar charges, and she thrusts the spear forward. It loses its hue suddenly before contact, but the boar is defeated. She sighs heavily, unable to feel congratulatory sense from the screen before her stating "Aria Leveled up! 1 to 2" She put her new skill point into reading auras, and closed the screen. She gained only a few coins from the kill, and a vendor trash item. "I don't understand. What does it take to make a weapon skill?" She opened her friends list, and stared at the empty space there. She then closed the menu, sat down, and pulled the beta players' handbook to read further. She sighed heavily again, reading only the exact same words as before.

Another boar approached her, so she lazily put the book away and readied her lance, going through the motions once more.

Aria pulled herself through kill after kill, wobbling between the yellow area of her health bar and the green. The field full of low-level creatures were a struggle point, considering that she couldn't manage to work out the method to creating a skill. This may have stemmed from her belief that this is a game, that nothing is real here. She can feel the spear, but she understands that it is only a figment of her imagination wanting to believe that there is a spear there. It is only a creation of the program to fool her brain into believing there is really a spear in her hands. But she can't fool herself into believing that.

One kill after another, she finally reaches level 3, still with no known skills available to her. She buries her head in her knees on the ground, as the system time ticks over to 4:00 am. She suddenly feels a tug and a pull, as she is brought to her feet and a familiar cylinder of light surrounds her. She is transported, unwillingly to a place where many people around her are appearing just as unwillingly. She finds herself bewildered, unable to comprehend why she was transported to the primary plaza of the game's starter town with all these people. She stands on the edge of the plaza, looking into the center. She turns to face outward, and finds a repulsion field, similar to an instanced area, keeping her and everyone else inside.

She looks about calmly, seeing and hearing the frantic worry of those around her. All 10,000 players have entered the game and are collected here. Right here. Looking to her left, she spots the familiar girls from College, Mia and Nizibel. She felt no negative nor positive emotions toward either colleague, thus inspected their levels. Each were level 2, having used 2 skills each. Aria suddenly became furious. Her negative emotions had seethed up inside of her, as she opened the main menu and pointed towards Log Out... but the option was not available. She simmered as she closed the menu, realizing that the bad premonition she had towards the game was about to come true. The sky lit up with red honeycomb, each section labeled "SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT."

What appeared as blood seeped from the cracks between the honeycomb, bound together in single blob by some unseen force. As flowing garment appeared from the goop, a hooded specter was finally formed.

"It's a game master... what's going on here?" Someone said, fearful of the answer.

"What's going on?" Another said.

"Why can't we log out?" A third questioned.

The figure spoke. "I am Kayaba Akihiko." All went silent in the crowd as the creator of this game enlightened us with booming voice.

"Some of you may have noticed that you cannot log out. This is not a flaw in the System. This is a feature. This American server was difficult to piece together, as you can see around you: Many changes have been made. Area names are made for English-speaking people. Some areas are not where they are in the Japanese server. Some people receive unique traits based on the answers given in your account's survey." His booming voice told.

"That explains that weird survey that have you fill out." Someone nearby said softly.

"This game is made of 100 floors, each with a dungeon leading to the next floor past a boss. By completing all 100 floors, only then may any of you log out." He said, directly. This attained no reaction, but his next statement did:

"Because of this, death here means death in the real world. When your HP reaches zero, your Nerve Gear will be sent a signal to fry your brain using internal microwaves. If an external force attempts to remove your Nerve Gear, the same will occur."

The murmurs in the crowd grew restless, something of disbelief, something of shock. As the crowd began to panic, the field gave way and the sky returned, taking the strange specter with it. Somewhere in the vast void of her, a spark was ignited. She purged herself from the moment, as each and every other person was transformed, their avatars made to match their physical forms. Of each, she gave not a single whim. Of each, she gave not a single glance. She looked only to the sky, even as the screams and cries of those around her shrieked past her to escape grisly truth.

Whispers. She was surrounded by whispers, telling dark secrets and tales of truth. To which may she adhere to – that which tells her of a situation far worse than any life to be lived; or that which tells her that heaven may be closer than one believes. Clouds and light muddle her mind, as she attempts to grasp the entirely implausible concept. To whether and way the mind blows, she exhausted many words and phrases and books and novels upon moments of exacerbated thought. One and only one repeated time and again throughout the encounter: Home. What is a home? What is the definition of home? One can only fathom the life she saw flash before her eyes. To be left with an orphanage with no money, no family, no friends. To cope with life meant time spent falling deep into a virtual world of her choosing, a flavor of the week. Given the circumstance, it is only fair – that a world which seemed dishonest and repulsive could offer her a direction. Silence follows her through her years, and solitude is her only companion as she pours over books and notes to ensure her college education. For what purpose, then, does she hold in the real world? She aspired to create her own, to live in, to breath in, to _die_... in...

She has that here. Under overcast sky, torn apart and bleeding the purifying rain upon her face, she stares into the virtual recreation of the life she has now left behind. To her, the entire planet of Earth held no meaning. It was a memory, much less given fond pasture. Ahead lies an option deemed created long before its unintended consequence: "This is my reality now."

On knees feeling new and rejuvenated, she rises to meet the raindrops falling, she catches them with her tears and breaks herself from weeping. "I'm so happy."


End file.
